Just a short walk from downtown Sydney is an adorable part of town with my favorite street, Surry Hills. It’s lined with trendy cafés, restaurants, and bars, and even has a library. It’s also conveniently located just a 20-minute walk from the city center.

There’s a Japanese restaurant in Surry Hills called Suishin, where I was recently asked to create a calligraphy piece with the name of their restaurant on the wall. This post is about that experience and the Surry Hills neighborhood.

There are several Japanese restaurants in Surry Hills, but they say that about 80% of them are not run by Japanese. In one sense, it makes me think that even people from other countries see a lot of value in serving Japanese food. Even the Suishin restaurant that commissioned my work is owned by a Korean. The owner-chef loves Japanese cuisine, and has enjoyed a long, successful career as a top chef of Japanese cuisine—even amidst the highly competitive Sydney culinary scene.

Suishin prides itself in its premium sashimi, sushi, and Japanese sake offerings, and as its name implies (suishin means something like “intoxicated heart” or “drunk on feelings”), it has a strong local following among those who come to enjoy their sake selection. It’s an adorable little place, with a warm and welcoming charm. A space became available on one of their interior walls, so they asked me if I’d create a calligraphy piece there. The interior is so tasteful, with candlelit tables and carefully-selected, eye-catching décor. They didn’t have any specific requests about the style of characters they wanted, just that they wanted the name of the restaurant. They left the style and format entirely to me, but it was such a valuable opportunity that I decided to consult closely with the owner on the project.

He asked me how long I thought it would take, and when I told him it would take about an hour, he seemed surprised that it could be done so quickly. I used a thick ink that I brought with me from Japan and took special care so it wouldn’t drip. Unfortunately, the ink still ended up running a bit—but the owner put me at ease when he said that the dripping added a nice character, given that the name suishin implies a kind of pleasant tipsiness.

I felt like the finished piece was a little on the slim side, so I asked if I could come back later to touch it up. The owner said I could, but also that he was completely delighted with it as it was—which made me incredibly happy. It’s such an honor to have my work gracing the walls of a fancy restaurant in Sydney!

As I mentioned earlier, Surry Hills is a hip area full of lovely cafés and restaurants. One of the most well-known is a pancake place called Bills. It’s incredibly popular in Japan too, with locations in places like Omote-Sando and Shichirigahama. There’s always a line. Bills actually got its start in 1993 in the Darlinghurst neighborhood of Sydney, which earned it global fame for its ricotta pancakes and scrambled eggs as “the best breakfast in the world”. Today, you can find Bills restaurants in Hawaii, London, and even Japan—as well as around Australia, of course.

I had always wanted to go, but never had the chance until recently. It’s only about a ten-minute walk from Suishin, and its lovely interior and exterior design made it a joy to just sit there. They had all kinds of delicious-looking lunch options in addition to their pancakes, but since it was my first time, I decided to go for their famous ricotta pancakes and some tea.

What arrived was a satisfyingly huge portion of fluffy flapjacks. The texture was light and moist, with a sophisticated flavor that wasn’t too sweet. As someone who rarely eats pancakes, I was surprised at how easily they went down. It was still a lot of food though, and I couldn’t finish it all. One of the great things about Australia though is that you can take home your leftover food. I got a takeaway box and took my time enjoying the rest at home.

The Surry Hills area is so charming, with an endless number of wonderful establishments to discover as you explore. There are antique shops, unique variety shops, and little art galleries tucked away everywhere, making it a delight to just walk around. I had never really taken my time there before, but now that I realize how close by it is, I’m looking forward to discovering some favorite gems in the area.